Natalie Bennett and Caroline Lucas posts | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/series/caroline-lucas
A weekly blog by Natalie Bennett, the leader of the UK Green party, and Caroline Lucas, the UK's first green MPen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2018Thu, 22 Feb 2018 07:46:44 GMT2018-02-22T07:46:44Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2018The Guardianhttps://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttps://www.theguardian.com
Wake up to the danger of slug pesticideshttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jul/10/slug-pesticides-metaldehyde-drinking-water
Metaldehyde in slug poison and fertilisers is showing up in drinking water, while natural garden predators are dying out<p>Last month, it was revealed that levels of a toxic pesticide more than 100 times the EU limit were present in a source of English drinking water. The discovery of record levels of metaldehyde – a chemical used in slug pesticides – was reported by Natural England and the Environment Agency <a href="http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/suffolk_essex_concerns_over_pesticides_in_stour_1_2250991" title="">at the River Stour</a>, which supplies water to homes in Essex and Suffolk. There's currently no treatment method available to extract this chemical from drinking water – once it's there, we're drinking it.</p><p>This isn't a sudden unexpected situation. The same problem occurred in many areas across Britain last autumn – when slug numbers exploded after the wet spring and summer, conditions that we're seeing emerge again. The problem was identified in autumn 2007, when new analytical techniques allowed testing for metaldehyde, and since then a voluntary stewardship programme with guidelines for the use of the chemical has been instituted. Yet this clearly isn't working.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jul/10/slug-pesticides-metaldehyde-drinking-water">Continue reading...</a>PesticidesFarmingEnvironmentWaterGardensLife and styleUK newsWed, 10 Jul 2013 10:29:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jul/10/slug-pesticides-metaldehyde-drinking-waterPhotograph: GettyA garden slug hiding under a leaf. Pesticides used to kill slugs contain toxic chemical metaldehyde, which is finding its way into drinking water. Photograph: GettyPhotograph: GettyA garden slug hiding under a leaf. Pesticides used to kill slugs contain toxic chemical metaldehyde, which is finding its way into drinking water. Photograph: GettyNatalie Bennett2013-07-10T10:29:47ZThe government's floods policy is in shambles | Natalie Bennetthttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/02/climate-change-flood-risk
Changing climate is making flooding more common, and yet no attention is paid to long-term solutions<br /><p>The focus for now may be on the surprise freezing spell still gripping the UK, but many in Britain are already enduring the devastating impacts of flooding. As the snow melts, one certainty is that many more are going to suffer, having their homes, businesses and livelihoods threatened.</p><p>It's likely to stay that way for many weeks, if not months. For in much of the country, the land is soaked, the reservoirs full, and the rivers are already at their limits. The scientists are telling us with increasing stridency that, with climate change, we can only expect this to become <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/mar/02/britain-faces-more-floods-and-droughts" title="">more common</a> – affecting people who never thought they were at risk. More than 1 million people are now in the target group for the government's direct flood warning service.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/02/climate-change-flood-risk">Continue reading...</a>FloodingNatural disasters and extreme weatherEnvironmentUK newsWeatherClimate changePlanning policyPoliticsConstruction industryBusinessTue, 02 Apr 2013 12:57:53 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/02/climate-change-flood-riskPhotograph: Lindsey Parnaby/EPAWater levels rise in the city of York, Britain, after the river Ouse burst its banks, flooding the city centre last year. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/EPAPhotograph: Lindsey Parnaby/EPAWater levels rise in the city of York, Britain, after the river Ouse burst its banks, flooding the city centre last year. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/EPANatalie Bennett2013-04-02T12:57:53ZUK government's opposition to regulation is putting bees at risk | Caroline Lucashttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/mar/15/uk-government-opposition-regulation-bees-risk
By failing to back EU proposals for a ban on pesticides, lawmakers have prioritised commercial interests over ecological wellbeing<p>In my foreword to the 50th anniversary edition of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/dec/07/why-rachel-carson-is-a-saint" title="">Rachel Carson's Silent Spring</a> last year, I described my mixed feelings about being asked to introduce her groundbreaking work on the fragile relationship between humans and the natural world for new generations.</p><p>While it's a great thing that young people should find their way to this impassioned study into the devastating impact of everyday chemicals on the environment and on human and animal health, it's also deeply tragic that Carson's warnings remain every bit as relevant today as they were in the 1950s.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/mar/15/uk-government-opposition-regulation-bees-risk">Continue reading...</a>BeesWildlifeInsectsEnvironmentPesticidesFarmingEuropean commissionEuropean UnionEuropeWorld newsGreen politicsFri, 15 Mar 2013 16:53:57 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/mar/15/uk-government-opposition-regulation-bees-riskPhotograph: Frank Rumpenhorst/AFP/Getty ImagesA series of high-profile scientific studies in the last year has increasingly linked neonicotinoids to harmful effects in bees. Photograph: Frank Rumpenhorst/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Frank Rumpenhorst/AFP/Getty ImagesA series of high-profile scientific studies in the last year has increasingly linked neonicotinoids to harmful effects in bees. Photograph: Frank Rumpenhorst/AFP/Getty ImagesCaroline Lucas2013-03-15T16:53:57ZHorsemeat scandal's origin lies in the heart of our economic model | Natalie Bennetthttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/feb/22/horse-meat-scandal-tesco-food-supply-system
Fixing lax regulation won't solve the problem – we need to address the circumstances that created this severely distorted food supply system<p>It seems the horsemeat scandal is just going to go on and on, until the point at which our media attention span runs out. The failure, yet again, of "light touch regulation" is now glaringly obvious; this couldn't be said to be worse than the financial crisis, but it has certainly been felt closer to home – the sickening lurch in the stomach millions have felt when they realised that they were likely to have eaten something they'd never have chosen, something they find repulsive.</p><p>There seems little doubt that the decision by this government to remove the Food Standards Agency from its sole responsibility for food contents and safety in the "bonfire of the quangos" in 2010, with the labelling and composition side going to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/18/cuts-horsemeat-scandal" title="">had some part in this affair,</a> although experts say the FSA was already getting far cosier and less critical of the industry. It's clear this decision should be reversed – and the independence of the FSA strengthened.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/feb/22/horse-meat-scandal-tesco-food-supply-system">Continue reading...</a>Horsemeat scandalThe meat industryLife and styleBusinessFood & drinkEnvironmentFood & drink industryUK newsTescoSupermarketsFood safetyFri, 22 Feb 2013 11:40:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/feb/22/horse-meat-scandal-tesco-food-supply-systemPhotograph: ANDY RAIN/EPAHorsemeat scandal shows that supermarkets have managed to maintain their margins at the cost of their customers and the quality and safety of their products. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPAPhotograph: ANDY RAIN/EPAHorsemeat scandal shows that supermarkets have managed to maintain their margins at the cost of their customers and the quality and safety of their products. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPANatalie Bennett2013-02-22T11:40:49ZWe don't need nuclear power to meet climate goals and keep lights on | Caroline Lucashttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/feb/08/nuclear-power-climate-change
It would be a folly to think that there is no hope of tackling climate change without nuclear power<p>Making the case for new nuclear this week, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/04/end-of-nuclear-careful-what-you-wish-for" title="">George Monbiot admitted that</a>, what with the proposed <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/30/cumbria-rejects-underground-nuclear-storage" title="">nuclear waste dump in Cumbria being rejected</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/04/centrica-withdraw-new-nuclear-projects" title="">Centrica pulling out of new nuclear in the UK</a>, the facts are not exactly working in his favour. But his argument raised two crucial questions.</p><p>First, what is actually happening as a result of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/30/germany-to-shut-nuclear-reactors" title="">Germany's nuclear phase-out</a>? Is Angela Merkel now barrelling down a catastrophic, high-carbon coal path, or is the reality more complex?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/feb/08/nuclear-power-climate-change">Continue reading...</a>Nuclear powerRenewable energyEnvironmentUK newsClimate changeGreenhouse gas emissionsCoalFri, 08 Feb 2013 12:51:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/feb/08/nuclear-power-climate-changePhotograph: Dan Chung/GuardianSizewell B nuclear power station, Suffolk. Photograph: Dan Chung for the GuardianPhotograph: Dan Chung/GuardianSizewell B nuclear power station, Suffolk. Photograph: Dan Chung for the GuardianCaroline Lucas2013-02-08T12:51:51ZDavid Cameron is irresponsible to omit climate change from his G8 prioritieshttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jan/11/david-cameron-climate-change-g8
The prime minister must use the leadership of the G8 as an opportunity to demonstrate that the UK can be taken seriously as a responsible player on the global stage<p>It's one of greatest threats to global stability, yet climate change is nowhere to be found in the UK's G8 priorities.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jan/08/climate-change-debt-inequality-threat-financial-stability" title="">World Economic Forum published its Global Risks report this week</a>, outlining what its analysis suggests are the biggest risks facing global economic stability in 2013.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jan/11/david-cameron-climate-change-g8">Continue reading...</a>Green politicsClimate changeG8David CameronPoliticsEnvironmentFri, 11 Jan 2013 16:48:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jan/11/david-cameron-climate-change-g8Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PADavid Cameron has assumed the G8 rotating presidency. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PAPhotograph: Stefan Rousseau/PADavid Cameron has assumed the G8 rotating presidency. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PACaroline Lucas2013-01-11T16:48:07ZThree easy environmental resolutions for 2013 | Natalie Bennetthttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jan/03/three-easy-environmental-resolutions-2013
20mph speed limits, a levy on plastic bags and reducing night lighting would cost little but deliver significant benefits<p>It's new year's resolution time – the mince pies are sitting heavy on the stomach, the Christmas tat is spewing from every bin and it's time for a fresh start.</p><p>For Britain's environment, clearly the most important resolution is to restructure the government's energy bill to put energy conservation at its heart, to restore the target of decarbonising electricity by 2030 and to follow most of the developed world in drawing a final line underneath the failed decades of expensive nuclear power.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jan/03/three-easy-environmental-resolutions-2013">Continue reading...</a>EnvironmentTravel and transportEnergyThu, 03 Jan 2013 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jan/03/three-easy-environmental-resolutions-2013Photograph: Andy Rain/EPAPlastic bags: 'as a small step towards cutting pointless resource use, and cleaning up our towns, cities, countryside rivers and seas, this truly is an easy win'. Photo: Andy Rain/EPAPhotograph: Andy Rain/EPAPlastic bags: 'as a small step towards cutting pointless resource use, and cleaning up our towns, cities, countryside rivers and seas, this truly is an easy win'. Photo: Andy Rain/EPANatalie Bennett2013-01-03T07:00:00ZAsh dieback: progress at last, but more must be done to protect our forests | Caroline Lucashttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/dec/21/ash-dieback-progress-at-last
Though ministers finally seem to have begun listening to scientists, strengthening biosecurity demands investment<p>Last week, environment secretary Owen Paterson <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-vote-office/December_2012/06-12-12/6-DEFRA-AshDieback.pdf" title="">quietly published a written ministerial statement</a> on ash dieback, setting out his department's plans for the months ahead to try to control the <em>Chalara fraxinea</em> fungus – as well as releasing the interim report by the independent Task Force on Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity.</p><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2012/nov/16/ash-dieback-vulnerability-flora-fauna" title="">Having written in recent weeks</a> about the dire situation now facing our ash trees, I'm glad to be able to welcome this statement as a clear step in the right direction. Finally, there are encouraging signs here that the government is starting to listen to its scientists on this serious issue.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/dec/21/ash-dieback-progress-at-last">Continue reading...</a>Ash diebackTrees and forestsConservationCaroline LucasPoliticsEnvironmentUK newsFri, 21 Dec 2012 17:49:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/dec/21/ash-dieback-progress-at-lastPhotograph: Stephen Simpson/Rex Features'Together with improvements in biosecurity and funding to match, we must also look to build greater resilience in UK woodland.' Photograph: Stephen Simpson/Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Stephen Simpson/Rex Features'Together with improvements in biosecurity and funding to match, we must also look to build greater resilience in UK woodland.' Photograph: Stephen Simpson/Rex FeaturesCaroline Lucas2012-12-21T17:49:12ZHow best can the government curb supermarkets' power? | Natalie Bennetthttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/26/government-curb-supermarkets-adjudicator
The government has chosen an adjudicator rather than original proposal of ombudsman for supermarkets' watchdog<p>Last week, MPs debated <a href="http://www.farminglife.com/news/supermarket-watchdog-bill-passes-first-hurdle-1-4516652" title="">plans for a new groceries code adjudicator </a>, destined to be known as the "supermarket watchdog". Will it be enough to curb the power of the supermarkets?</p><p>There's been <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/campaigns/fighting-supermarket-power/extra/action/17729-take-action-stop-supermarket-bullying" title="">a strong push</a> from campaigners for the adjudicator to have more teeth, and the Lib Dem farming minister, David Heath, <a href="http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Retail-watchdog-able-supply-chain-bullies-real/story-17379543-detail/story.html" title="">has said the government is prepared to listen</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/26/government-curb-supermarkets-adjudicator">Continue reading...</a>FoodRetail industrySupermarketsBusinessFarmingEnvironmentMon, 26 Nov 2012 12:51:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/26/government-curb-supermarkets-adjudicatorPhotograph: AlamyProper regulation of supermarkets matters to all of us. Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyProper regulation of supermarkets matters to all of us. Photograph: AlamyNatalie Bennett2012-11-26T12:51:55ZAsh dieback highlights the increasing vulnerability of our flora and fauna | Caroline Lucashttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/16/ash-dieback-vulnerability-flora-fauna
Current levels of international trade and imports means Britain needs to be more aware of the potential for environmental damage<p>In the debate over the British outbreak of ash dieback, caused by the <em>Chalara fraxinea</em> fungus, that threatens to devastate our 80 million ash tree population, much of the focus has been on the timetable of government action – whether the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) could have acted quicker, or done more to address the spread.</p><p>Of course it's right that questions are asked about whether ministers could have been better prepared, and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/12/ash-dieback-ministers-accused" title="">whether Defra really has a grip on the "scientific facts"</a> it provided to the public.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/16/ash-dieback-vulnerability-flora-fauna">Continue reading...</a>Ash diebackConservationTrees and forestsEnvironmentPlantsBiologyScienceInfectious diseasesMicrobiologyFri, 16 Nov 2012 17:25:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/16/ash-dieback-vulnerability-flora-faunaPhotograph: Darren Staples/ReutersA sign warns of ash trees infected with Chalara dieback, on a Woodland Trust site near Framlingham, south-east England. Photograph: Darren Staples/ReutersPhotograph: Darren Staples/ReutersA sign warns of ash trees infected with Chalara dieback, on a Woodland Trust site near Framlingham, south-east England. Photograph: Darren Staples/ReutersCaroline Lucas2012-11-16T17:25:25ZIt's time for pedestrians to reclaim our streets with 20mph speed limit | Natalie Bennetthttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/01/pedestrians-reclaim-streets
Safe, pleasant roads designed for people and communities – not cars – should be the norm where we live, work and shop<p>Do you live on a major road? Or a side street in a leafy suburb? Either way, in most parts of Britain, that means you still have vehicles, cars and lorries rushing past your door at 30mph. If, in a moment's inattention you should step out in front of one, it will likely kill you.</p><p>Actually, if you are an adult, and reasonably young, you're not so much at risk. Statistics show that it is the young and the old who are most in danger - and poorer people, who are more likely to be walking and more likely to live on busier roads. In Britain 24% of our road deaths are pedestrians - one of the highest percentages in Europe.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/01/pedestrians-reclaim-streets">Continue reading...</a>EnvironmentTravel and transportRoad safetyThu, 01 Nov 2012 12:26:58 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/01/pedestrians-reclaim-streetsPhotograph: Stephen Kelly/PACan we make 20mph the default in built-up areas? Photograph: Stephen Kelly/PAPhotograph: Stephen Kelly/PACan we make 20mph the default in built-up areas? Photograph: Stephen Kelly/PANatalie Bennett2012-11-01T12:26:58ZPolitical posturing has limited the potential of the green investment bank | Caroline Lucashttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/oct/24/political-posturing-green-investment-bank
Cross-party consensus evaporated when it came to a debate on two bill amendments that would have made the bank stronger<p>Writing on the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2012/oct/05/green-investment-bank-caroline-lucas?INTCMP=SRCH" title="">green investment bank</a> a few weeks ago, I had been optimistic about the emergence of a cross-party consensus and the chances of a positive outcome. Unfortunately, as is so often the case in the House of Commons, what followed was more than a little disappointing.</p><p>In last Wednesday's vote on the bank, MPs had the opportunity to amend the enterprise and regulatory reform bill by supporting two crucial changes: the ability to borrow from the capital markets by 2015 at the very latest, and ensuring the bank would actually invest in projects that would fit with the UK's climate change objectives.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/oct/24/political-posturing-green-investment-bank">Continue reading...</a>Green Investment BankEnvironmentPoliticsUK newsGreen politicsWed, 24 Oct 2012 15:06:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/oct/24/political-posturing-green-investment-bankPhotograph: DIGITEYES / Alamy/Alamy'MPs in the Commons last week had the opportunity to amend the enterprise and regulatory reform bill by supporting two crucial changes.' Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: DIGITEYES / Alamy/Alamy'MPs in the Commons last week had the opportunity to amend the enterprise and regulatory reform bill by supporting two crucial changes.' Photograph: AlamyCaroline Lucas2012-10-24T15:06:41ZWe must accept that Britain cannot rely on world food supplies | Natalie Bennetthttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/oct/15/rely-world-food-supplies
As prices rises, this country needs a stable, secure food supply, with a short distance from field to plate<p>To describe Britain's attitude to food security over the past couple of decades as cavalier is a serious understatement it. In the grand new globalised world you didn't have to grow apples because you could ship them from New Zealand or South Africa. You didn't have to worry about peas or beans , they came from Peru or Kenya. Chicken from Thailand; fish from wherever the latest ocean-hoovering operation was destroying future stocks – no cause for alarm there. All you needed was a fistful of pounds, and the food would be there to be bought.</p><p>There had been the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution" title="">green revolution</a> from the late 1960s that had saved the world from starvation. If supplies ran short, we'd just have to crank up the technology again and all would be well. Food was cheap for Western consumers, and it was assumed that it would keep getting cheaper.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/oct/15/rely-world-food-supplies">Continue reading...</a>EnvironmentFoodFarmingMon, 15 Oct 2012 16:05:22 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/oct/15/rely-world-food-suppliesPhotograph: Wendy Stone/CorbisGreen beans that have been flown in from Kenya. Photograph: Wendy Stone/CorbisPhotograph: Wendy Stone/CorbisGreen beans that have been flown in from Kenya. Photograph: Wendy Stone/CorbisNatalie Bennett2012-10-15T16:05:22ZGive the green investment bank power to borrow now | Caroline Lucashttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/oct/05/green-investment-bank-caroline-lucas
Limiting borrowing puts in peril UK's first green bank's ability to lend and invest in green projects, says Caroline Lucas<p>Cross party consensus emerges only rarely in the tribal world of Westminster. So when politicians do tentatively edge towards agreement, there's always a glimmer of hope that progress might be possible.</p><p>When MPs return from recess, they will scrutinise the government's plans for the green investment bank (GIB) under the <a href="http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2012-13/enterpriseandregulatoryreform.html" title="">enterprise and regulatory reform bill.</a></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/oct/05/green-investment-bank-caroline-lucas">Continue reading...</a>Green Investment BankEnvironmentRenewable energyEnergyBankingBusinessGreen economyWind powerPoliticsFri, 05 Oct 2012 15:59:21 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/oct/05/green-investment-bank-caroline-lucasPhotograph: LM Otero/APUK's switch to low carbon economy depends on green investment bank's ability to fund renewable energy projects. Photograph: LM Otero/APPhotograph: LM Otero/APUK's switch to low carbon economy depends on green investment bank's ability to fund renewable energy projects. Photograph: LM Otero/APCaroline Lucas2012-10-05T15:59:21ZNuclear power is the Betamax of the energy world | Natalie Bennetthttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/sep/28/nuclear-power-betamax-energy-world
We need to stop being distracted by this techology and focus on promoting and investing in renewables<p>In my first month <a href="http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/09/04/new-leader,-natalie-bennett,-talks-about-her-vision-for-the-green-party/" title="">as the new Green party leader</a>, I've spent lots of time talking about pressing economic and social issues - the need for the minimum wage to be a living wage, how benefits should be available to all who need them, and how costly and destructive the privatisation of the NHS will be.</p><p>But with the government's <a href="http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/legislation/energybill2012/energybill2012.aspx" title="">energy bill on the horizon</a>, serious questions around the coalition's wobbly-looking commitment not to subsidise new nuclear, and <a href="http://stophinkley.org/PressReleases/pr120917.pdf" title="">an anti-nuclear protest at Hinkley Point on 8 October</a>, I've also spent lots of my time explaining why I think renewable energy - wind, solar and, in the future, tide and wave - combined with energy conservation, provide an excellent way forward for British energy.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/sep/28/nuclear-power-betamax-energy-world">Continue reading...</a>Nuclear powerRenewable energyEnergyEnvironmentFri, 28 Sep 2012 10:41:28 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/sep/28/nuclear-power-betamax-energy-worldPhotograph: Timothy Fadek/CorbisActive and spent nuclear fuel rods underwater. Photograph: Timothy Fadek/CorbisPhotograph: Timothy Fadek/CorbisActive and spent nuclear fuel rods underwater. Photograph: Timothy Fadek/CorbisNatalie Bennett2012-09-28T10:41:28ZUK government must show leadership with moratorium on Arctic drillinghttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/sep/20/moratorium-arctic-drilling
Nature may have thwarted the fossil fuel industry for now, but the threat to this region remains until politicians take responsibility<p>On the <a href="http://www.shell.com/home/content/future_energy/meeting_demand/arctic/" title="">Shell's website</a>, there is a section devoted to the company's operations in the Arctic. Decorated with beautiful images of glistening, lunar-like landscapes and indigenous people riding with huskies, it looks a bit like a travel guide – there's even a paragraph entitled The Alaska Experience.</p><p>But beneath this pristine wilderness, Shell estimates, lies "around 30% of the world's undiscovered natural gas and 13% of its yet-to-find oil … around 400bn barrels of oil equivalent, 10 times the total oil and gas produced to date in the North Sea".</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/sep/20/moratorium-arctic-drilling">Continue reading...</a>EnvironmentArcticWorld newsPolar regionsOilEnergyFossil fuelsOilBusinessOil and gas companiesEnergy industryOil spillsSea iceRoyal Dutch ShellGreen politicsPoliticsUK newsThu, 20 Sep 2012 14:58:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/sep/20/moratorium-arctic-drillingPhotograph: Misha Japaridze/APAn oil pipeline in Russia's Arctic region. Photograph: Misha Japaridze/APPhotograph: Misha Japaridze/APAn oil pipeline in Russia's Arctic region. Photograph: Misha Japaridze/APCaroline Lucas2012-09-20T14:58:25ZHeathrow expansionists must drop their third runway obsession | Caroline Lucashttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/aug/29/heathrow-expansionists-third-runway
Those in favour of endless airport expansion must finally accept that there are ecological limits to aviation growth<p>Since all three main political parties ruled out expansion at Heathrow airport at the last election – the Conservatives were especially uncompromising in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/interactive/2010/apr/13/conservative-manifesto-2010-policy-guide" title="">their manifesto pledge to "stop the third runway"</a> – it barely seems possible that it could be back on the agenda in this parliament.</p><p>But these are desperate times. With the Tories panicking over George Osborne's failed economic policy and frustrated by the apparent policy paralysis within the coalition, the fierce and relentless lobbying campaign for a third runway waged by the aviation industry has scored another win.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/aug/29/heathrow-expansionists-third-runway">Continue reading...</a>Heathrow third runwayBusinessAirline industryTravel and transportLondonHeathrowAir transportEnvironmentGreen politicsPoliticsLiberal-Conservative coalitionWed, 29 Aug 2012 10:58:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/aug/29/heathrow-expansionists-third-runwayPhotograph: AlamyPlanes queuing for takeoff at Heathrow. Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyPlanes queuing for takeoff at Heathrow. Photograph: AlamyCaroline Lucas2012-08-29T10:58:09ZIt's time environmental health and public health were governed as one | Caroline Lucashttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/05/government-environment-public-health
Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin knew how closely the two were linked, and politicians now have a chance to catch up<p>In his 1837 novel, Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens takes us to the world of Jacob's Island, "the filthiest, the strangest, the most extraordinary of the many localities that are hidden in London" where the houses were "so filthy, so confined, that the air would seem to be too tainted even for the dirt and squalor".</p><p>Dickens was just one of many 19th century figures who highlighted the link between the conditions in which people lived and the state of their health. Another was Edwin Chadwick, who demonstrated the link between dirt, disease and poor health, winning over public opinion despite an editorial from the London Times that asserted it was worth taking a chance with cholera. Which begs the question, has Rupert Murdoch really been in control of the Times for that long?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/05/government-environment-public-health">Continue reading...</a>ConservationEnvironmentHealthSocietyPublic services policyPoliticsGreen politicsThu, 05 Jul 2012 10:25:54 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/05/government-environment-public-healthPhotograph: Matthew Fearn/PAAir pollution lingers over London. Photograph: Matthew Fearn/PAPhotograph: Matthew Fearn/PAAir pollution lingers over London. Photograph: Matthew Fearn/PACaroline Lucas2012-07-05T10:25:54ZDavid Cameron, it's time to show leadership on climate change and energy | Caroline Lucashttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/apr/30/david-cameron-environment-leadership
I am writing an open letter to the prime minister calling for extraordinary boldness to address the climate crisis<p>Dear prime minister,</p><p>I welcome the fact that, after almost two years in power, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/apr/26/david-cameron-clean-energy-ministerial?intcmp=239" title="">you used the recent Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) event</a> to finally indicate the level of your commitment to creating an urgently needed green economy.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/apr/30/david-cameron-environment-leadership">Continue reading...</a>EnvironmentEnergyClimate changeDavid CameronPoliticsGreen politicsMon, 30 Apr 2012 15:10:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/apr/30/david-cameron-environment-leadershipPhotograph: Stefan Rousseau/PADavid Cameron speaks at the Clean Energy Ministerial conference in London on 26 April 2012. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PAPhotograph: Stefan Rousseau/PADavid Cameron speaks at the Clean Energy Ministerial conference in London on 26 April 2012. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PACaroline Lucas2012-04-30T15:10:11ZEd Davey's dash for gas will not help UK meet carbon targets | Caroline Lucashttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/mar/21/ed-davey-gas
As one of his first major announcements, climate secretary's plans for investment in gas are disappointing news<p>Last Saturday, the new energy and climate secretary <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/17/dash-for-gas-proposals-campaigners" title="">slipped out plans for encouraging investment in gas</a>. Unsurprisingly, his statement – just a few days before today's budget – raised more than a few eyebrows.</p><p>Ed Davey has been in position for under three months, and has made some encouraging noises about the green economy. So perhaps it is a little churlish to judge him too harshly on this early development. But as one of his first major announcements on energy and climate change policy, the dash for gas doesn't feel like a good start.</p><p>"If we don't decarbonise electricity, we've got no hope of meeting all the targets that we are all committed to."</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/mar/21/ed-davey-gas">Continue reading...</a>GasEnergyFossil fuelsEnvironmentEd DaveyPoliticsGreen politicsClimate changeWed, 21 Mar 2012 12:13:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/mar/21/ed-davey-gasPhotograph: Oli Scarff/Getty ImagesWill the government's new love affair with gas be compatible with achieving the fourth carbon budget? Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Oli Scarff/Getty ImagesWill the government's new love affair with gas be compatible with achieving the fourth carbon budget? Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty ImagesCaroline Lucas2012-03-21T12:13:25Z